Illinois

The Volunteer Stewardship Network (VSN)
Celebrating over 25 Years of Service to Illinois' Natural Places!

Nachusa Fire Crew
Volunteers helping to conduct a prescribed burn at
The Nature Conservancy's Nachusa Grasslands Preserve. 

The Network was born in 1983, when the Conservancy and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission organized a VSN as a resource for citizen conservationists looking for a way to help. Twenty-five years later, the Network continues to be a vibrant, active network, comprised of various volunteer groups across the state performing crucial work towards preserving our natural heritage.

The Network supports more than 74 volunteer groups helping public and private landowners maintain and restore more than 350 high-quality natural areas throughout Illinois.



The Nature Conservancy and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission lend support by supplying volunteers with some of the tools, training, and conservation expertise to do the job.

Gatherings Online Newsletter
Gatherings Online is an email newsletter that is published monthly by The Nature Conservancy to inform the stewardship community of new resources, upcoming events, workshops, and news from across the state.  If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, please contact Karen Tharp at ktharp@tnc.org

The Stewards Listserve
This listserve has been set up to facilitate and encourage discussion among VSN stewards, co-stewards, monitors, and others. Discussion topics might include management plans, monitoring techniques, volunteer recruitment, stewardship techniques and tools, status of animals and plant species, and so on. Special stewardship events, workshops, and conferences may also be posted on the listserve. Subscription to the listserve is limited to people who are volunteers in the Network. Click here for instructions on how to join the stewards listserve.

VSN Stewardship Fund
The Nature Conservancy and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission accept requests for funding once a year from volunteer groups within the Network. In the past, groups have used these funds to help purchase fire safety equipment, herbicide, tools, or to help pay for newsletter printing. You must be a volunteer group within the Network to apply.  The deadline to request funding is May 1 of each year.  For more information contact ktharp@tnc.org or 866-VSN-LINE (876-5463).

Natural Resource Funding List
Looking for additional funding to further your stewardship work?  Originally developed by the VSN and now updated with the help of the Illinois Master Naturalist Program, click here for the newly updated natural resource funding list for volunteer groups looking for money to fund projects.